AM 27/I.

15S

MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS BOARD

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA, MSIDA

MATRICULATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

ADVANCED LEVEL
SEPTEMBER 2015

SUBJECT: PURE MATHEMATICS

PAPER NUMBER: I
DATE: 1st SEPTEMBER 2015
TIME: 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon

Directions to Candidates

Answer ALL questions.

Each question carries 10 marks.

Graphical calculators are not allowed however scientific calculators can be used but all necessary working must be
shown.

1. (a) If y = e −1/x , show that

2

2
6d y
x 2
+ 2(3x 2 − 2)y = 0 .
dx
[4 marks]
t t2
(b) A curve is given parametrically by x = 2 and y = 2 .
t +1 t +1
dy
(i) Find the gradient in terms of t .
dx
(ii) Find the equation of the normal to the curve at the point where t = 21 .
[3, 3 marks]

2. Solve the differential equation

dx 1
= , cos2 t
dt x
π π
given that x = 4 when t = . Find x when t = , giving your answer correct to three signifi-
4 3
cant figures.
[10 marks]

©The MATSEC Examinations Board reserves all rights on the examination questions in all examination papers set by the said Board.

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AM 27/I.15S

3. (a) Find A and B if

2 cos x + 3 sin x ≡ A(− sin x + cos x ) + B (cos x + sin x ) .
Hence, find the indefinite integral
2 cos x + 3 sin x
Z
dx .
cos x + sin x
[5 marks]
1
(b) By using the substitution x 2 = evaluate
u
Z2
dx
p .
2 5x 2 − 1
1 x

[5 marks]
4. (a) Show that the parametric equations
π
 ‹
x = 2 + 3 sin t and y = 4 + 3 cos t +
2
represent the line having the point A with coordinates (−1, 7) as one of its endpoints and
the point B with coordinates (5, 1) as its other endpoint.
(b) Determine the equation of the line which is perpendicular to the line A B and passes
through the origin O.
(c) Find the equations of the two loci of the point P such that the area of triangle A B P is
equal to a constant k .
(d) Hence, deduce the area of triangle OA B .
[3, 2, 4, 1 marks]

5. (a) Resolve into partial fractions.

x2 −x −4
.
x 3 + 3x 2 − x − 3
[5 marks]
1
(b) A geometric progression has first term and common ratio r < −1. Given that every
10
four consecutive terms a k , a k +1 , a k +2 and a k +3 of this geometric progression satisfy the
equation
3(a k +2 − a k ) = a k +1 − a k +3 ,
show that r 3 + 3r 2 − r − 3 = 0. Hence, find the sum of the first eight terms of this progres-
sion.
[5 marks]

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AM 27/I.15S

1
6. (a) The function f (x ) = e x is defined for all real x ≥ 0 and the function g (x ) =
2
is
x +3
defined for all real x 6= −3. Let h = g ◦ f be the composite function of f and g .
(i) Find an expression for h(x ), giving its domain;
(ii) State the domain of h −1 (x ), where h −1 is the inverse of h;
(iii) Find an expression for h −1 (x ).
Ç [2, 1, 3 marks]
8x − 4
(b) Find the largest set of values of x such that the function f (x ) = takes real values.
x −3
[4 marks]

7. For Sunday lunch, a restaurant offers its customers the opportunity to have a meal by choos-
ing any three different dishes from a selection of eleven different dishes, ranging from appe-
tizers, entrées, main course and desserts.
(a) How many different meals can a customer avail of?
On a particular Sunday, the waiters report that they have served the following quantities of
each dish:
17, 19, 5, 23, 36, 11, 4, 30, 22, 10, 14 .
(b) Assuming that the waiters counted correctly, did all the customers have exactly three
dishes? Give a brief explanation for your answer.
(c) If each dish is taken by the same number of people, and the number of customers on any
one day is denoted by c , find an expression (in terms of c ) for the quantity required of
each dish. What can you deduce on the number of customers needed on any particular
day for the above situation to be possible?
The eleven dishes are divided into two appetizers, three entrées, four main courses and two
desserts. The management decided that a customer can have any one dish from each course
up to a total of three dishes.
(d) How many different meals are now available for the customers?
[2, 2, 2, 4 marks]

8. (a) Find a and b given that

5 + 2i 1 p
= − (a + i b ), where i = −1 .
13 + 11i 10
If a + i b is a root of the equation x 2 + αx + β = 0, find the values of the real numbers α
and β .
[5 marks]
5 3π 120
(b) Given that cos ϑ = and that ≤ ϑ ≤ 2π, show that sin 2ϑ = − and evaluate sin 3ϑ.
13 2 169
[5 marks]

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 AM 27/I.15S

9. The points A and B have position vectors 7i − 2j + 9k and −2j + 2k, respectively.
(a) Find the equation of the line that passes through A and B .
[3 marks]
(b) Let C be the point with position vector αi + k. Find the two possible values of α given
−→ −→
that AC is perpendicular to BC .
[3 marks]
(c) For one of the values of α found in part (b), verify Pythagoras’ Theorem for the triangle
4A BC
[4 marks]

10. (a) Use the method of completing the square to show that the solutions of the following qua-
dratic equation in x
x 2 − 2(3a 2 + 1)x + a 4 − 14a 2 + 1 = 0
p
are given by x = 3a 2 + 1 ± 2a 2a 2 + 5 .
Hence, solve the equation x 2 − 26x − 39 = 0, giving your answer in surd form.
[5 marks]
(b) Solve the inequality
p p −3
2x + 3 ≥ 2 + x + 4 for x ≥ .
2
[5 marks]

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AM 27/II.15S

MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS BOARD

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA, MSIDA

MATRICULATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

ADVANCED LEVEL
SEPTEMBER 2015

SUBJECT: PURE MATHEMATICS

PAPER NUMBER: II
DATE: 2nd SEPTEMBER 2015
TIME: 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon

Directions to Candidates

Answer SEVEN questions. Each question carries 15 marks.

Graphical calculators are not allowed however scientific calculators can be used but all necessary working must be
shown.

 
1 1 1
1. Let A =  9 3 1 .
 
16 4 1
(a) Show that A is non-singular and find A−1 .
[5 marks]
(b) Find the equation of the image of the plane with Cartesian equation x + y + z = 1 under
the transformation given by the matrix A.
[5 marks]
(c) The graph of the cubic y = a x 3 +b x 2 +c x +d passes through the points (0, 10), (1, 7), (3, −11)
and (4, −14). Find the coefficients a ,b, c , d .
[5 marks]

2. The point A has position vector 10i − j + 8k.

(a) Find the equation of the line `1 that passes through the point A and is perpendicular to
the plane Π1 with equation 3x − y + 2z = 5. Find the position vector of the point B where
the line `1 intersects Π1 .
[4 marks]
(b) Find the value of β such that the point C with position vector β i − 8j − 2β k lies in the
plane Π1 . Find the equation of the plane Π2 that contains A, B and C .
[5 marks]
(c) Find the angle ∠AC B , and the area of the triangle 4A BC .
[6 marks]

©The MATSEC Examinations Board reserves all rights on the examination questions in all examination papers set by the said Board.

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AM 27/II.15S

x +7
3. The function f is given by f (x ) = .
x 2 + 3x
+8
(a) Determine the coordinates and nature of the stationary points and the equations of the
asymptotes of the curve y = f (x ).
[5 marks]
(b) Sketch the curve y = f (x ).
[4 marks]
1
(c) Hence, or otherwise, sketch the curve of y = − on a separate diagram.
f (x )
[4 marks]
1
(d) Deduce the range of values of f (x ) and of − .
f (x )
[2 marks]

4. (a) Show that the equation 3 tan x + x = 0 has a solution between 5 and 5.5. Use the Newton-
Raphson method to find an approximate value of this solution, taking 5.25 as a first ap-
proximation. Do two iterations and give your working to four decimal places.
[Note that angles should be taken in radians throughout this question.]
[7 marks]
Z π

(b) (i) Evaluate sin2 x dx by Simpson’s Rule with an interval width of h = π/4. Give your
0
answer inZterms
π
of π.
(ii) Evaluate sin2 x dx by using the identity 2 sin2 x = 1 − cos 2x and compare your
0
answer to that obtained in part (i).
[4, 4 marks]

5. (a) Use De Moivre’s Theorem to prove the identity

cos 5ϑ = 16 cos5 ϑ − 20 cos3 ϑ + 5 cos ϑ .
Hence, or otherwise, find Z
cos5 ϑ dϑ .

[4, 3 marks]
(b) Show on an Argand diagram the set of values of z for which
z −3
≤ 2.
z +3
z −3
What are the least values of |z | and | arg z | when =2?
z +3
[5, 1, 2 marks]

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AM 27/II.15S

6. (a) Show that if A 1 , A 2 and A 3 are three events, then:

P[A 1 ∩ A 2 ∩ A 3 ] = P[A 1 ]P[A 2 |A 1 ]P[A 3 | (A 1 ∩ A 2 )] .
[4 marks]
(b) The manufacturer of a machine states that the probability that the machine first mal-
functions in the first year is of 3%. If it has not malfunctioned in the first year, then the
probability that it malfunctions in the second year increases to 5%. If it has not mal-
functioned during the first two years, then there is a 10% chance that it malfunctions in
the third year.
(i) Find the probability that the machine does not malfunction
(A) in the first year;
(B) in the second year, given that it does not malfunction in the first year;
(C) in the third year, given that it does not malfunction in the first two years.
(ii) Find the probability that the machine does not malfunction during the first three
years.
According to the manufacturer, if the machine is given a proper service at the start of
every year, then this should keep the probability that the machine malfunctions fixed at
3% each year.
(iii) What is the probability that the machine does not malfunction during the first
three years if it is properly serviced every year?
[3, 4, 4 marks]

7. (a) The function f is defined by f (x ) = sin2 x .

(i) Use the series of cos 2x to show that the first three non-zero terms of the Maclauren
series for f (x ) are
x 4 2x 6
x2 − + .
3 45
(ii) Hence find
sin2 x − x 2
lim .
x →0 x4
[4, 3 marks]
(b) Use the method of mathematical induction to prove that
n
X 1 n
=
r =1
(2r − 1)(2r + 1) 2n + 1
for every positive integer n. Hence show that the sum of the first (n + 1) terms of the
series
1 1 1 1
+ + + + ...
3 15 35 63
(n + 1)
is .
(2n + 3)
[8 marks]

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 AM 27/II.15S

8. Given that f (θ ) = 6 + 2 sin 3θ + 2 sin 5θ , show that:

(a) f (π − θ ) = f (θ );
(b) the equation f (θ ) = 0 has no real roots.
[3, 3 marks]
The curve C has polar equation r = f (θ ).
(c) Give a geometrical interpretation of the results proved in (a) and (b) for the curve C .
π π π
(d) Hence, by taking values of θ between − and in intervals of radians, sketch the
2 2 10
curve C for −π ≤ θ ≤ π.
(e) Find the area enclosed by the curve C .
[2, 4, 3 marks]
Z1
2
9. (a) Let I n = x n e −2x dx . Show that
0
 
1 1
In = (n − 1)I n −2 − 2 for n ≥ 2 .
4 e
[5 marks]
(b) Find I 4 given that I 0 = 0.5982. Give your answer to four decimal places.
[4 marks]
(c) The region bounded by the curve y = and the x -axis between x = 0 and x =
2
x 5/2 e −x
1 is rotated through 2π radians about the x -axis. Find the volume of the solid that is
generated by this rotation.
[6 marks]

10. (a) Solve the differential equation

dy x3
− 2y = 2
x ,
dx x +1
given that y = 1 when x = 1, giving your answer in the form y = f (x ).
[6 marks]
(b) Solve the differential equation
d2 y dy
2
+3 + 2y = cos x ,
dx dx
dy
given that y = 0 and = 0 when x = 0.
dx
[9 marks]

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